Viagogo could be forced to repay millions to fans who purchased tickets only to be be turned away at the event.

A new order against the secondary ticketing site, obtained by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) this week includes a requirement that Viagogo funds an independent review that will look into a backlog of refund claims submitted against the site since January 2016.

According to The Guardian, any customers who are entitled to compensation will not have to do anything to make a claim and will instead be contacted by the company. It is expected that the new law could lead to mass refunds for fans of global artists such as Ed Sheeran, who faced being turned away after purchasing tickets through Viagogo earlier this year.

A separate order will also require Viagogo to pay for a third party who will monitor the firm’s compliance with the court order, after a “complete overhaul” was ordered.

The company will also have to pay the costly legal fees of the Competition and Markets Authority too.

Fans of Ed Sheeran could receive refunds

From 17 January, the site will also have to make significant changes, including the identification of sellers who are professional touts and informing customers if they face ticket restrictions that could result in them being refused entry.

Last week, a German court banned Viagogo from selling Rammstein tickets. The shows set records in the country after selling 800,000 tickets in a matter of hours. Promoters MCT Agenteur had made the tickets personalised, and limited re-sale to Eventim’s FanSALE platform and one secondary site, MunchenTicket.

German courts have now ruled that the site is forbidden to “allow the sale of tickets for the 2019 Rammstein stadium concerts in Germany”, as well as to “assert that they are valid tickets for entry”, according to an MCT release.

A statement from Rammstein says: “The band is pleased that the district court of Hamburg has agreed with our [arguments] and issued the ban. The court’s decision is a warning signal to anyone who thinks they can resell massively overpriced and invalid Rammstein tickets.”